For Urban Adman, Road Leads To Va.

For the past seven years, Danny Robinson has been an urban marketer in the most urban of settings: New York City. But a desire to live a more relaxed lifestyle while still creating top-notch work is leading him back home.

"It was time for me to take a look at the past seven years and ask what's next," said Robinson, 44, who joins Interpublic Group's The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., today as svp and creative director—one of 14 cds at the shop. "My desire is to live well and work well."

Robinson, who grew up about 70 miles southeast of Richmond, most recently was chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe's Vigilante in New York, an urban-marketing specialist that he co-founded in 1997 with his partner, Marc Stephenson Strachan. (Strachan left in 2000.) There, Robinson worked on Heineken and Western Union, among others.

In the new post at Martin, Robinson becomes a part of the agency's unusual creative-department structure, which divides the department into small groups, each led by two cds. His exact role and cd partner have not been determined yet, said Mike Hughes, president and cd of Martin, to whom Robinson reports. "I've always been a fan of his," said Hughes. "He's a great addition."

Robinson's move is more than just a return to his roots. A two-hour commute to New York from his home in Connecticut kept him from his son and daughter. Now, the trip will take about 20 minutes, he said.

"Virginia wasn't calling," said Robinson. "I'm leaving New York for The Martin Agency. I wouldn't have done this for any other agency."

For the past seven years, Danny Robinson has been an urban marketer in the most urban of settings: New York City. But a desire to live a more relaxed lifestyle while still creating top-notch work is leading him back home.

"It was time for me to take a look at the past seven years and ask what's next," said Robinson, 44, who joins Interpublic Group's The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., today as svp and creative director—one of 14 cds at the shop. "My desire is to live well and work well."

Robinson, who grew up about 70 miles southeast of Richmond, most recently was chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe's Vigilante in New York, an urban-marketing specialist that he co-founded in 1997 with his partner, Marc Stephenson Strachan. (Strachan left in 2000.) There, Robinson worked on Heineken and Western Union, among others.

In the new post at Martin, Robinson becomes a part of the agency's unusual creative-department structure, which divides the department into small groups, each led by two cds. His exact role and cd partner have not been determined yet, said Mike Hughes, president and cd of Martin, to whom Robinson reports. "I've always been a fan of his," said Hughes. "He's a great addition."

Robinson's move is more than just a return to his roots. A two-hour commute to New York from his home in Connecticut kept him from his son and daughter. Now, the trip will take about 20 minutes, he said.

"Virginia wasn't calling," said Robinson. "I'm leaving New York for The Martin Agency. I wouldn't have done this for any other agency."